Announcements
Sunday
School—New
start time—We begin at 10:00 (kids & adults)!! We'll explore
Ezekiel this Sunday @ 9:45.
East
Brainerd Elementary—are
you interested in helping out at East Brainerd? They need someone to
volunteer as a kindergarten assistant—doing tasks like cutting
things out, laminating, etc.
Pizza
& Ping-Pong—The
youth & their friends are invited to the Geerlings' house on
Sept. 22 for an evening of pizza & ping-pong. Please RSVP to
Janet.
Dinner
for 8—A
sign-up sheet is in the Narthex for a dinner on Sunday, Sept. 23 from
5-5:50. More details are on the sign-up sheet, but just take my word
for it that you'll want to be there.
New
Hope News
Men's
Breakfast—Saturday,
Sept. 22 from 8-9. We're going to begin a Bible Study called Quiet
Strength that was written by Tony Dungy.
Sunday
Evening Prayer Service—Canceled
for the next 2 weeks
Road
Construction Update—Work
continues. There is currently a large hole in the ground and lots of
people looking at it. As of now, projected completion date is still
November 10.
Pray
for:
The
workers on Shallowford Road, that they may be safe
Pray
for those who do not see the hand of God at work in their lives
Links
Book
Recommendation
A
concise overview of the Reformation, The
Reformation for Armchair Theologians
is a great place to start if you've always wanted to learn more about
the movement that gave birth to the Protestant Church.
Random
Thoughts
Life
happens.
We
spent most of Labor Day weekend on the couch. Not because we wanted
to, and not because we hadn't made any plans, but rather because some
sort of virus decided to take advantage of our apparently-generous
hospitality. To be honest, it was a rather rude virus.
We
had made all sorts of plans, and most of them flew out the window as
we sat on the couch, watching the weekend go by. I was feeling
better by Saturday, but Rachel took a bit longer to recover. Again,
not what we had planned.
But
life interferes with our plans. It reminded me of how important it
is to be sure that we are relying on God first. Everything else in
this world can let us down if we rely upon it—even our health, our
own bodies, no matter how well we care for them. Sometimes we get
sick. Sometimes joints don't work quite like they should. Sometimes
trusted people let us down. Sometimes organizations don't act like
they should. Sometimes politicians make promises they don't keep.
I
could go on, but I won't. You get the point. You know this to be
true—human organizations, human institutions, humans themselves,
let us down. If we rely completely upon them, we'll be disappointed.
God,
however, will not disappoint. The Bible is a treasure trove of
stories that remind us of God's faithfulness. Scripture points to a
God who is completely reliable and will never abandon or forsake us.
Every other person and power in the world may disappoint us, but God
will be by our side, even if everything is our fault. God loves us,
and God is faithful to the promises he has made. And what is that
promise?
As
Jesus says, And
this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of
all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is
indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son & believe
in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last
day.
(John 6:39-40)
Text
for Sunday, September 9
John 15:9-17
As
the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If
you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have
kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have
said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your
joy may be complete.
‘This
is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No
one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s
friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I
do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does
not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends,
because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my
Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed
you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father
will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you
these commands so that you may love one another.
New
Hope on iTunes
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